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It is with some hesitancy and mild trepidation that I report the newest animal in our collection here at the Living Materials Center. I fear to mention it lest I cause you to pound into pate’ every little snake you encounter. But then I think, what am I if not a source of information? Don’t answer that!
A Murphy homeowner called and told Tammy, office manager extraordinare, that he was bringing us a rattlesnake that was uncovered by a backhoe removing a concrete slab on his property. As is usually the case, we were expecting some kind of rat snake. Wrong! It was a rare find indeed because although we are on the extreme eastern edge of their range I have never seen one this side of Ft. Worth. It was an adult massasauga.
The adults measure 18 to 27 inches. Record size recorded for this rattlesnake is 34 3/4 inches. This is a rattlesnake of the plains and grasslands. It often frequents rocky areas, clumps of Prickly Pear cactus and is not usually found far from a source of water. The Western Massasauga feeds on mice, shrews, frogs, lizards and other smaller snakes. This is one of the most docile rattlesnakes found in Texas. Most individuals seldom rattle when disturbed. They are nocturnal and are almost never seen during daylight hours. They tend to avoid areas of human habitation. Courtship and breeding occur both in the fall and spring. The Western Massasauga, like all rattlesnakes are livebearers, giving birth to 5 to 13 young during July or August. The young measure from 7 to 9 1/2 inches at birth and resemble the adults except that their bellies and tail may have a somewhat pinkish coloration.
I will relocate this animal farther west into his natural range. Just remember the words “very rare.” All snakes are not rattlesnakes!
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